MATERIAL SELF AND ECONOMIC SELF
possessions. To widen one's sense
Material Self
 One of the components of self
 Our body is the innermost part of the
material self in each of us (William James,
1890)
 A man’s self is the total that he can call his;
which is not only his body and his psychic
powers but also his: clothes, house, wife,
children, friends, ancestors, reputation and
work, lands and bank accounts
 refers to tangible objects, people, or places
that carry the designation my or mine
TWO SUBCLASSES OF MATERIAL SELF
1. Bodily Self
 These are entities that are clearly
described as an intimate part of who
we are. It is concerned with
awareness of one’s bodily states.
Example: arms and legs
A person may express, “my arms feel
heavy” or “my skin feels warm.”
 However, our sense of self is not only
limited to our bodies.
2. Extracorporeal Self (Beyond The Body) –
Extended Self
 Extended self includes: other people,
pets, possessions, places, products
of our labors
 it is not the PHYSICAL ENTITIES
rather it is our PSYCHOLOGICAL
OWNERSHIP
Example:
A girl has a favorite dress that she
wears. The dress itself is not part of
the self, instead it is the sense of
appropriation present in the phrase
“my favorite dress”. This is what
extended self means. It includes all
people, places, and things that we
regard as ours.
 Individuals who were asked to
describe themselves tend to mention
their possessions and assets.
(Gordon, 1968)
 Possessions' Symbolic Function
is that they help define themselves.
The way we dress and carry
ourselves, the cars we drive, and how
we embellish our abodes signal to
others and ourselves who we think
we are and how we want to be
regarded. When one's identity is
densely threatened, an individual will
be inclined to acquire more material
of self, individuals tend to accrue
material possessions (Satre1943)
 A series of investigations on the mere
ownership effect provides further
evidence that possessions become
part of the extended self (Beggan,
1992).
TWO TYPES OF INVESTMENT
which people might shop to gain happiness and
satisfaction (Gilovich,2003)
1. Material Purchases
 are those made with the primary
intention of acquiring tangible
possessions that can be physically
retained in one's possession.
2. Experiential Purchases
 are those made with the primary
intention of acquiring life experiences
such as an event or series of events
that one encounters and lives
through.
 Material possessions might fulfill personally
relevant goals and increase happiness for
the highly materialistic consumer. On the
other hand, experiential purchases might
make materialistic people happier for they
can also benefit having successful social
relationship (Gilovich, 2004).
 O'Guinn and Faber (1989) found that some
aspects of materialism were related to
compulsive buying disorder.
Role of Consumer Culture on Self
 Culture is a crucial factor in determining
consumer behavior; it is a shared belief
among a group of people in a place and time.
Consumers are conditioned to develop self-
concepts that are appropriate to their age,
gender, and social groupings.
Categories of Consumer Behavior's Self-
Concept (Sirgy, 1982)
1. Self-image
 how they see themselves
2. Ideal Self-image
 how they would like to see
themselves
3. Social Self-image
 how they feel others see them
 4. Ideal Social Self-image 1. You go to work because you want to get
 how they would like others to see paid, so that you can buy the things you
them want.
2. You go to school to get a respectable job
 This implies that individuals are highly someday and earn more money to buy
dependent on consumption to communicate the things you want.
themselves. As consumers, they buy  In fact, most of the economic activities we
products and brands that they believe see around us are results of self-interested
possesses symbolic images that are similar behavior.
and complimentary to their self-image to  What do you need?
achieve image congruence (Scott, 1988).  What do you want?
 Levy (1959) concluded that people don't just
buy things for their benefits, they also buy it Needs
for what it means to them.  refers to an individual’s basic requirement
 For the material self, objects helped make that must be fulfilled in order to survive
the person but they also showed what that  Nature: Limited
person was made of. It means the use and  What is it? Something you must have
display of wealth remains powerful and  Represents: Necessity
controversial, and nowhere more so than for  Survival: Essential
the super rich.  Change: May remain constant over time
 Non-Fulfillment: May result in onset of
 Luxury has evolved throughout disease or even death
history because of change in the
value systems and cultural contexts. Wants
 Luxury can be a sign of distinction.  described as goods and services that an
 It can be a commodity. individual would want to have as a part of his
caprices
“I shop therefore I am”  Nature: Unlimited
 What is it? Something you wish to have
 Initiated by Barbara Kruger, an American  Represents: Desire
artist whose pop art often deals with  Survival: Inessential
consumerism and feminism.  Change: May change over time
 Barbara’s statement stemmed from  Non-Fulfillment: May result in
Descartes’ philosophy of “I think therefore I disappointment
am”.
 The primary way of that people relate to each “By shopping, people validate their own sense of
other is as consumers. who they wish they were”
 For instance, people show their love by
spending money on each other Advantages of Shopping
 Commerce, while not being everything, is
strongly present in most, if not all, important 1. Long life for sale
aspects of life, and thus shape those aspects 2. Relaxation and escape
in its image 3. Social connection
4. The pleasure boost of creativity and
aesthetics

Economic Self Disadvantages of Shopping

 consists of one’s economic activity that
1. May lead to compulsive buying
results from individual self interest
2. People lifestyles may change from simplicity
1. Why do you go to work?
to lavishness full of material comforts
2. Why do you go to school?
3. May serve as a distraction to avoid other
important issues.
 Being self-interested simply means that you
seek your own personal gain.
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The Role of Consumer Culture in One’s Identity

 Previous studies have emphasized the

significance of self-concept and consumer
preference, as purchases made by
consumers were directly influenced by the
image individuals had of themselves.

Self-image Congruity
 the process of consumers purchasing
products/brands that they perceived as
possessing symbolic images similar to the
image they hold of themselves

 The greater the congruity between human

characteristics that exhibit consumers’
senses of self and the characteristics that
depicted a brand, the greater the consumers’
preferences were for the brand (Sung, Choi
& Tinkman, 2012).
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